KS Eshwarappa claims Amit Shah declined to meet him
Bengaluru, Apr 4: Former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa, who is contesting as a rebel candidate against BJP's B Y Raghavendra from Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat, on Thursday claimed Union Home Minister Amit Shah did not meet him as he found it difficult to respond to questions raised by him.
Eshwarappa, a senior BJP leader, said he went to Delhi as Shah had summoned him but the meeting could not happen.
"I went to Delhi as I was summoned. If I had not gone there then they would have called me arrogant. I could not meet Amit Shah. I think the meeting did not happen because I had asked him certain questions, which he found difficult to answer," the former BJP state president claimed.
Eshwarappa has entered the electoral fray in Shivamogga constituency as an independent, against Raghavendra, son of BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa.
Explaining, he alleged Shah did not allow the meeting to happen.
ALSO READ: Shah asks Eshwarappa to withdraw candidature, rebel BJP leader says not changing mind
"I went to his office where I was told not to meet him. It is good for me. What would I have done if he had asked me to withdraw even after narrating the story of injustices?" Eshwarappa wondered.
The veteran BJP leader said Shah must have thought that whatever he was doing was justified as he was fighting for justice.
"He only had called me to Delhi and did not meet me," he claimed. Further, the 75-year old leader alleged, "in Karnataka, Congress culture has crept into BJP where Yediyurappa's family politics is prevailing."
Sources close to Eshwarappa said he wanted a ticket for his son K E Kantesh from Haveri constituency, which did not happen.
This upset him and he blamed Yediyurappa for the same. Hence, he decided to fight the election against Yediyurappa's elder son Raghavendra.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
